Bear and Mouse Game
by ZombieCatTookMyPudding
Summary: Even after Mike and his girlfriend, Nancy, got away the night of the Moon Theatre performance, he still can't help but feel they've been followed all the way to a small town, just to have them running in a Bear and Mouse Game.
1. Chapter 1

A bright red convertible finally began to slow down as it approached a gas station far outside the city. The sunrise in the sky shone light on the several claw marks on the sides and back of the car. Its passengers, a mouse couple, had been driving all night before, their eyes dark and puffy from lack of sleep, their fur ruffled from all the terror. Coming to a stop, they both took a deep breath, and exited the car.

"Jeez..." the male of the two commented, his eyes gazing in fear at the back of the car. "...Would ya take a look at those scratches...stupid thing was worth practically all my money."

"Yes, Mike, I see them," the female stretched her legs, frankly a bit too tired to care. Grabbing a small amount of what little cash they had left from their glove compartment, she walked towards the station inside. "Stay there, Mike. I'm paying for gas."

"Yeah, you do that, babe," he waved absent-mindedly.

To think, just after he finished his performance the night before, he was nearly killed by the leader of the bear trio (again) that had been tracking him since he cheated on some poker game. In one night, he was nearly eaten alive, and he and his girlfriend, Nancy, had just barely escaped him alive by driving like bats out of Hell. They lost him, eventually, but they didn't stop driving until they were sure they were somewhere he couldn't follow them.

"Mike?" Nancy asked, concern in her voice as she approached him. "Are you okay?"

"Do I _look_ okay to you?!" he snapped, his eyes bloodshot and desperate. "Nancy, we were practically eaten alive! And those bears could still be out there, you know!" His ears flattened, his voice had gotten considerably quieter. "Following us, stalking us, ready to _flippin'_ kill us!"

"Oh, Mike, don't be ridiculous. We lost them by the time we were on the highway. Look around you: do you see any bears around here?"

"...Well, no, not _now,_ but-"

"No. There are no bears here. And you know what? There probably won't be any bears nearby anytime soon."

"But-"

"Mike, just listen to me. Just for a second," Nancy took his paws in hers. "If you're really that worried, I know a nice little town not too far from here where we can hide, and some family and very good friends of mine who would be willing to help us out." Mike rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know, baby. A 'nice little town' ain't exactly my style."

"It isn't really mine either, but it would just be temporary until this whole 'bear' thing blows over. After that, we can move to another city, maybe even start a whole new life together. But until then, the smart thing to do may be to just lay low, maybe build up a stash of money somewhere so then by the time we get back on our feet, we're not broke. Okay?" Mike looked down at his feet in thought. He never liked the idea of living in one of those shoddy, low-class hick towns, but maybe that would be the last place the bears would look for him! After all, Nancy did have a point: it's not like you can just walk into a city and get their finest without a little bit of dough.

"...Yeah, alright." With a reluctant smile, Mike pecked her on the forehead.

"Okay, stud. I'm driving."

"Weren't you just driving all night?" he asked with a slight tease in his voice.

"Yeah, but I don't mind driving a little more. It's only about...fifteen, twenty minutes from here, maybe?"

"If you say so."

* * *

Nancy smelled the fresh country air as she drove along, feeling a sense of relief of taking a break from the busy city life, and starting anew with her lover.

Mike, on the other hand, found it much harder to relax. His heart pounding, he couldn't help but occasionally looking over his shoulder, half-expecting the bears to show up out of nowhere and attack.

 _Gotta take it easy...it'll all be over soon,_ he reminded himself. _Just gotta take it easy._

With a full tank of gas, they continued down the long, dusty road, the mood that hung between them in the early morning air slowly changing from desperation to hope.


	2. Chapter 2

"So," the fat gray mouse took a glug from the tiny beer bottle in his paw, "this is the 'Mike' you wouldn't stop yappin' bout?"

"The one and only," Mike grinned arrogantly. The bigger mouse looked unimpressed.

"When you goin' stop chase after them city slickers? That whole 'gold digger' thing ain't gonna work out well for you ya know, Nancy."

" _Gold_ digger?!" Nancy snapped, her ear twitching.

"Hey, bub, my girl ain't a gold digger," Mike protested. The gray mouse snorted.

"Please, she's been turning boys' heads and using them to her advantage ever since puberty hit. Just had to bat her pretty brown eyes, and she could get them to do whatever she wanted." Shaking his head while the amused smile on his face showed off his yellow teeth, he added: "Shame to see that nothing's changed after all this time. AH!" He flinched as a wadded-up candy wrapper hit him in the head. (Keeping in mind that they're mice, it was big enough to knock him off of his feet.)

"Now, Bernie," A female, pale gray mouse scolded, "our niece and her significant other has come 'ere genuinely needin' our help. Nancy, you and Mike can stay here as long as y'all need."

"Thank you, Aunt Patty. Mike and I are absolutely grateful for your hospitality. Aren't we, Mike?"

Mike took a look around the run-down mouse-hole living room.

"Don't know why I agreed to stay in this stinkhole," he mumbled under his breath.

"I said, ' _aren't we_ , Mike?'" Mike jumped at his girlfriend's fiery glare.

"Uh, I mean, yeah, sure, we're...absolutely touched you're uh, you're too kind."

"I'll just take your things to the back." As Patty picked up the suitcases, they followed her. "Thank goodness we have a spare bedroom leftover from when Nancy's cousins moved out. Now, your little visit has been on short notice, so I haven't really had time to clean it, but otherwise make yourselves at home."

 _DING!_

"Oh! Lunch is ready!" she chimed. Patty ran out of the room, leaving the two alone. The dark room contained six small beds. Mike's ears flattened to his head as he gagged at the smell.

"...I've forgotten how bad this room smelled..." Nancy commented, "...but, I'm sure we can pick up an air freshener or something, right?"

"Have a feeling it's going to take a lot more than some lousy air freshener to unstink the place."

"Yeah, maybe, but," she put a paw on his shoulder, "as long as I'm with you, I'm willing to make anything work."

"Aw, you." Mike was about to kiss her on the forehead, but then he suddenly froze up. "Wait-" he sniffed the air, "d-do you smell that?" he asked, his body becoming much more tense.

"...Bears?" Nancy whispered, her eyes widening.

"I told ya! I frickin' told ya!"

"Mike, what do we do?"

"I-" Mike frantically looked around the room for an answer, "-I don't know!" Rushing over, he took two suitcases in one paw, and Nancy's in the other as he ran through the tiny mouse house. "Screw this place, screw this shit! We _cannot_ , and _will not_ stay here! GAH-AH!"

Looming over him was a large bear. But...it wasn't a bear from the trio. First of all, this bear was female, not to mention much too elderly to be running any gangs of sorts.

"Nancy?!" she raised her eyebrows and started laughing.

"...Oh, oh Miss Ursa!" Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. Mike's expression of terror changed to a confused one, furrowing his eyebrows as the bear took Nancy into her paw.

"Why, look at you, all grown up! Oh, such a gorgeous young lady, now."

"...Uh...what?!" Mike's ears flattened in exasperation.

"Oh, Mike, I can't believe I've completely forgotten, but this is Ursa, my aunt and uncle's landlady."

"Landlady?!"

"Well, of course!" Patty called from inside the mouse hole. "Had to have our home built _somewhere!"_

"Who's this feller? A gentleman caller of yours?" Mike stepped back as she leaned down to get a closer look. "Handsome, ain't he?"

Panting, Mike ran a paw over the top of his head, unsure how to react. His knees felt as if they turned to jelly as he registered that he and Nancy weren't in danger after all. A deep, boisterous laughter came from the mouse hole.

"Hey, Ursa, feel free to stop on by anytime you like! I'd personally like to see how much of a bear's scent this boy can catch before he has a heart attack."

"Bernie!" Patty scolded again.

"Heart attack? How come? Easily frightened?" Ursa asked.

"It's a...long story." Nancy smiled down at him, Mike, in turn, half-heartedly forming a smirk back at her out of the corner of his mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

Mike knew the sooner he got a stinkin' job, the sooner he would have the money to get outta this hick town. And the easiest way to do that was to stick to what he knew: playing on the streets for money.

Unfortunately, it seemed not a single person knew who he was, and even the ones that appreciated his playing dropped no more than a few cents, if even a dollar, at a time. While he normally would have shaken them down for all the money they had, the police in this village seemed a bit aggressive. He figured it was enough he was in trouble with the Bear Trio, and a trip to jail for assault was the last thing he needed right now.

He had stayed playing into the late hours of the night, and only made about twenty dollars.

"Damn place is full of cheapskates," Mike muttered to himself. A flash caught the corner of his eye. For a split second, he had hoped it may be a valuable piece of gold, or something he could sell for decent money at the pawn shop, but, alas, it was a glare from the window of a truck, slowly making its way through the streets. But...Mike noticed...it wasn't just any truck. In fact, that big, hairy figure in the front looked a lot like...

Nearly pissing his pants at the sight, Mike dropped the money and ran. And he didn't stop running until he made it to Ursa's ranch house.

"Nancy!" he yelled, running to the glossy-furred mouse standing in the door of the hole.

"Mike, where have you been? You've been gone all night! Had me _worried sick_ about you!"

"We need to get out of here, _now_."

"Why? What's wrong?"

" _Bears._ "

"Mike, we've been over this-"

"No, Nancy. _The_ bears! Not your landlady! Really! I'm dead serious, baby! You gotta believe me!"

* * *

"Nancy, what are you _doing_?! They could find us _any minute!"_ Mike was clinging to his seat as Nancy was slowly driving their convertible through the backstreets.

"I just want to be sure you saw those bears."

"Are you crazy?! You're going to get us _killed_ , woman!"

"Shut _up_ , Mike!" Nancy spat. "In case they _are_ here, you're making quite a racket!"

"Oh, I _knew_ I should have driven instead!"

Pulling his ears down, Mike whimpered. All he could hear was the sound of his heart racing through his tiny body. It was those bears! They were here! He just knew it! They'd show up any minute now!

...So it had only been five minutes, the town's bigger than it looked. They could be just around the corner, pulling up to find them any second now!

...Ten minutes...maybe they were just toying with them! Luring them into a false sense of security!

…Fifteen minutes...Mike let go of his ears, because at this point, he could feel them begin to bruise beneath his fur. Wrapping his arms around his body, he began to pay attention to the starry sky. If he weren't so terrified right now, he'd think it'd be quite a nice night. The kind of night where he would take Nancy dancing to their favorite jazz songs back in the city.

...Thirty minutes?! He suddenly came down from his daydreams and memories as the car pulled up into Ursa's driveway.

"Nance, what're you doing?"

"I've checked all over the streets of this town," she pulled the key out of the drive, "and there's no bears. Those could have been bears simply driving by for all you know."

"But-"

"Mike, _listen to me!"_ her eye twitched as she grabbed his shoulders. Clearly she was beginning to run out of patience. "Clearly, you're just psyching yourself out. Repeat after me: 'there are no bears here.'"

"Nancy-"

" _Say it._ "

"...There are no bears here."

"Say it again."

"There...there are no bears here."

"Good." Opening the door, she slid out of her seat. "Now, keep repeating that to yourself, until you get it into your head. Got it?"

"...I-"

"Got it?!"

"...Yes dear," Mike sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **Hi! I'm not dead; and neither is this fanfic. Enjoy the next chapter! :D**

* * *

Three days had passed since Mike had seen the bears (or at least, what he was pretty damn sure were those bears!) but the fear was still fresh in his mind. Too scared and too exhausted to go outside, all he could muster since then was laying in bed, playing a sad, somber tune on his saxophone.

"Mike?" Nancy came into the room. "I've brought grilled cheese, your favorite," she said, setting the plate on the nightstand.

"Not hungry," he murmured.

"Mike, honey, I'm worried about you." Taking the bottom bunk bed opposite to him, she continued, "you haven't left the house...or even bathed these last few days. Yes, what happened that night after you played at the theatre was scary, but it's over now. We're safe: you don't need to worry anymore."

Ignoring her, Mike resumed his song.

"Hey...that reminds me: there's a party I'm going to tonight, and there's a band that's going to be playing. Maybe if I talk to them, they'll let you be their opening act."

Mike stopped, his ear twitching with slight interest.

"You like performing, right? I mean, sure, it's not a huge audience but you have such a lovely voice...it'd be a shame if we left and the town never got to hear you sing."

Gently lowering the saxophone to his belly, his vision crossed a bit as he focused on an old dirt stain in the ceiling. If it were three things Mike loved, it were being the center of attention, playing jazz music, and being the center of attention while playing music. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Yeah...okay."

* * *

Later that night, Mike found himself offstage, adjusting his hat and straightening the collar on his shirt, and taking a breath as he brushed himself off.

"You're not nervous, are you?" Nancy teased.

"Please," Mike rolled his eyes. "I'm just getting into my element here."

A gopher on stage stepped up to the microphone. "Good evenin'. Y'all ready to hear some music?"

The response he had gotten was some whoops, cheers, and clapping from the small crowd.

"Good, cuz me and my boys are ready to play some good ones for y'all. But first, we have a special openin' act: put your hands together for Mike!"

Mike could feel his self-esteem being reinflated as their clapping of approval was there to welcome him on stage.

The gopher lowering the microphone, he whispered, "all yours."

Mike waited for the applause to die a bit before speaking. "This one's for Nancy:" he said, casting his lover a quick glance. "She's that special kind of girl we could all use in our lives."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the small town, three bears climbed out of a van and stretched their legs.

" _Что заставляет вас так уверен, что он даже там?_ " ( _"What makes you so sure he's even here?"_ ) a particularly husky one in a brown leather jacket asked the leader of the group.

" _Потому что я его чую_ ," ( _"Because I smell him,"_ ) he replied.

" _Но мы искали дни, и это нигде не найти!_ " (" _But we've been searching for days, and he's nowhere to be found!_ ")

" _Он здесь. Я это знаю!_ " (" _He's here! I know it!_ ")

" _Тихий!_ " (" _Quiet!_ ") the third bear snapped. " _Слушай…_ " (" _Listen..._ ")

The three of them focusing their ears towards the horizon, an upbeat*, jazzy tune was there to meet them:

"Wise men say...that only fools rush in...but I, can't help, falling in love, with you..."

" _Я знаю, что голос в любом месте..._ " (" _I know that voice anywhere..._ ") the leader said. " _Поехали!_ " (" _Let's go!_ ")

At his command, the other two scrambled into the car, and they sped off towards the sound of the music.

* * *

Mike felt right at home in the spotlight, showing these hillbillies what _real_ music sounded like. "Like a river flows, that's the way it goes. I can't help falling in love with you. I can't help falling in love with you. I can't help falling in love with you. Fallin in love...with...you!"*

He took a moment to soak up all of the cheering and applause from the audience.

"Thank you, thank you," the mouse grinned, bowing. "You're too kind, really."

 _Vrrr..._

 _What the...?_ Nancy's ears perked.

 _ **SCREEEEECH!**_

The noise of the tires squealing against the old pavement was startling enough, but what had really scared Nancy was the sight of a familiar bear poking his head out the window.

"THERE!" he bellowed, pointing at Mike. "I SEE HIM!"

As if his brain had stopped working completely, he stood there, helpless on that stage, unable to move, or even think!

But before the bears could reach them, Ursa made her way through the crowd and blocked them. "Listen, I dunno who you fellas think you are or what your problem with Mike is, but-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the leader knocked her down, only to find that Mike wasn't there!

"What?!" one asked.

"Where'd he go?!" the other cried.

The leader growled and turned. "FIND HIM!" he barked.

What followed was a scene of chaos. Some had tried to fight the bears (as clearly, they were dangerous,) while others tried to flee.

Mike, who had taken the opportunity to run and hide while Ursa was his cover, found Nancy backing off of the lower stairstep to the stage.

"M-Mike?" she whimpered. "Mike!" she called again, daring to raise her voice a bit. "Gah!" she gasped as Mike grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, just me," he assured her. "Come on, we need to get outta here, _now_."

Without question or argument, she fled from the scene with him.

"I KNOW YOU ARE HIDING, MIKE!" the leader roared. "COME OUT AND FACE US, COWARD!"

* * *

Running through the field across from Ursa's house, Mike and Nancy hide themselves in the long grass, their tiny rustles barely noticeable.

"Where did you park the car?" Mike whispered, anxiously following her around the front.

"Just around the front. Let me pack our bags," Nancy went to the back entrance to the mouse house.

"No! There's no time for that!"

"But you have your saxophone," Nancy protested.

"I was already carrying it on my way out. Look, we have there, we can replace later, but we don't have time. Now that the bears know where we are, we're as good as dead unless we leave _now_."

Mike running around the side, Nancy took one last glance at the door before reluctantly following him.

 _Whir-r-r-r..._

"Come on, come on!" Mike's hands shook as the car had trouble starting.

 _Whirrr_ - ** _vroooom!_**

Mike gave a small triumphant laugh as Nancy fastened her seatbelt.

And off they went: speeding down the road and out of the town.

* * *

At the first stoplight leading to a busier road, Mike gave Nancy a smug smirk.

"...What's that for?"

"May I just be the first to say 'I told you so'?"

"Oh, shut up, Mike."

* * *

 **A/N**

 ** _*Can't Help Falling in Love_ (Elvis Presley) is typically a more mellow song, but the cover Mike did was more upbeat. I know I also only have the first and last lines because I skipped most of the song, but the original document accidentally got overwritten, (I tried to put a horizontal line in, but apparently, trying to type a letter in-between two of them can delete all the text you've written) so what took me over six months to come up with a plot and write for I did all over again in a day, and I'm just too tired to add much else.**


End file.
